Still a Beast of Burden
by Tozette
Summary: Short sequel to A Beast of Burden. Shoryuu tries to ride Enki. Hijinks ensue.


**A Beast of Burden – Again**

I believe the user that requested this is called Jest-a-Jester on fanfiction(dot)net, so this is dedicated to her. Hi, TJ!

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Shoryuu had pushed. He had teased and prodded and laughed. "You barely reach my stomach," he pointed out immediately, leaning against one arm in the doorway to the courtyard.

"You should be thankful," Enki tossed his head. "I can still throw you off," he suggested and stamped a hoof. The noise rang out across the courtyard. Servants and ministers looked up from hurrying to and fro to glance between the pair of them. Seeing business as usual, they smiled faintly and returned to their work.

Shoryuu's lips curved slowly in a lazy smile. He slid into the wan winter sunlight, state robes trailing behind him. Enki could hear the head servant muttering about dirty hemlines. "Perhaps I should send for a saddle, then," the King returned.

Enki snorted and looked away. Shoryuu remained in that rare shaft of sunlight, watching him with amusement etched across his features.

Sick of waiting, he glanced back. Shoryuu was a man who knew well how to barely-wear his state robes, but Enki was in no mood to be placated by the view. "Well?" he demanded. "Are you going to stand there staring all day?"

Shoryuu sighed and approached, trailing fine, imported silks and brocades along the flagstones. He carried his own gift to Kei-ou tucked under one arm. No retinue could follow through the skies when the beasts were sick, and it would take half the day to organise a replacement. He stopped at Enki's side. "This is going to look ridiculous," he murmured for Enki's ears alone.

A man rushed forward to give the King a leg up. He was waved off with a teasing laugh. Enki heaved a long-suffering sigh. Strong hands braced on his neck. Enki was tensed for the weight, but his knees almost buckled while Shoryuu shifted for an inordinately long period of time to get as comfortable as he pleased.

Images of an undignified Kirin pancake flashing through his mind's eye, Enki gritted his teeth and waited it out, internally cataloguing the myriad ways in which the Revered King was going to repay him for this. "You're getting fat," he growled, stepping forward to test his capacity for movement.

"Nonsense," Shoryuu said mildly, dignified for all that he looked as though he was mounted on a pony. "You're just unfit."

"How am I supposed to get into the air with you on my back?" Enki complained, ignoring that accusation. They had, predictably, attracted a small crowd for the spectacle. Amused murmurs and suppressed guffaws slithered along the courtyard's stones. "You can say what you like, this is _nothing_ like Keiki and Kei-ou."

Shoryuu snorted, but the answer came all on its own, because as soon as the King sat still, he weighed nothing at all. The Heavens looked out for foolish Kings and their Kirin, it seemed.

Enki felt the lightness. Enki needed no further encouragement to gather his legs under him and launch himself and his King into the skies. His hoof beats rang out as he clattered across the stones and the people scattered away with gasps and cries, and then they were flying.

For just a moment, Enki forgot that they looked absolutely ridiculous and that it was really beneath his dignity to be treated like a common Kijuu. The sea spread endless and dark beneath him and the winds snapped at his hair. Shoryuu's legs were too long by far, but he gripped hard with his knees and thighs and tangled one strong hand in his mane. He could feel Shoryuu's chest move as he breathed, the heat of his body as he shifted position in rhythm with Enki's hooves and –

-- and Enki _knew _that there was a problem somewhere here, but Shoryuu was yelling something and pointing and –

That moment shattered.

"What do you mean, _you dropped it_?" he roared back, but he could see the brightly-coloured gift for Kei-ou swiftly disappearing into nothing as it plummeted towards the sea.

"There! There!" Shoryuu bellowed, pointing towards that spot of brightness. "We can catch it!"

"Are you _serious_?" Enki demanded. Shoryuu jabbed him with his heels; Enki thought seriously about throwing the idiot off right then, but resisted the temptation. Instead, he took a deep breath, sighted the gift and breathed, "Remember, you asked for it."

Shoryuu's enthusiastic scream was ripped away by the winds of their momentum. His hands were wrapped around Enki's neck as he clung tighter, laughing either in joy or terror; it wasn't easy to distinguish between the two.

"We're not going to catch it!" Shoryuu yelled.

"So get off!" Enki snapped back, putting on a burst of speed in his vertical dive.

There was shift in the weight on his back and for a second his heart stopped when he thought the idiot had actually let go. Then there was a tearing sound, and the weight was back, closer and warmer against his skin. Something snapped behind him.

The gift was approaching – or, rather, Enki was approaching the gift – at high speed, but the sea was also coming closer.

"Faster, Enki," Shoryuu breathed in his ear.

"Do you want to do this?" But he stretched out his neck and legs, pulling even with the bright wrapping. Shoryuu reached a hand out and snagged a ribbon, exclaiming his success –

-- just as they hit the sea.

Enki gulped down a mouthful of water as they shot through, panicking when he realised he wouldn't get to the top fast enough to breathe. But then, this sea had a bottom, so he stretched forward, muscles burning, and gasped as they broke through.

Shoryuu was still on his back, gift be damned, and he could see the palace in Kei, but he couldn't breathe even as he strained towards it, trying to cough up water and stay airborne at the same time. Shoryuu was yelling something to him, but his vision was narrowing down – he had to _land_ – and the top of the palace wall was approaching much too fast.

Hands reached out of nowhere to grasp at him and guide both of them to a safe landing.

Enki staggered on the grass inside the walls. Shoryuu was off his back before they landed, with warm, steadying hands on his neck as he gasped. He finally coughed up most of the water – glad, not for the first time that he _wasn't_ actually a horse – and breathed deeply.

Kaiko vanished, leaving them face to face with a group of slightly scandalised, very alarmed ministers. A short distance away, he could feel Keiki's swift approach.

"En-Taiho," the other Kirin's deep, flat voice was faintly accusing. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he gasped, blinking.

"Might I enquire –"

"Influenza," Enki muttered. Shoryuu's hands had taken up a nervous pattern in his mane. He shook it off and raised his head. "I'm fine," he repeated, for Shoryuu's ears alone.

"Don't scare me like that," he whispered back, strong hands shaking.

"Don't make me do stupid things. You could have gotten her another gift," Enki said, but he was looking at Keiki who wore a complete non-expression.

"Kei-ou has been waiting for you," he said without any inflection, and turned to lead the way.

"It's a good thing, too," Shoryuu murmured. Enki turned to look at him. His hair was plastered to his skin, the sleeves of his state robes were missing and the undershirt had gone translucent when wet. He smiled, and held up one bright, tattered ribbon.

Enki just sighed.

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Couldn't resist ruffling Keiki on the way through.

Questions, comments, constructive criticism all welcome.

If you're going to flame, please leave your email address. ) I'll address you directly.


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